Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army on Verge of Liberation of Central Syria

Military sources said on Wednesday that Damascus is on the verge of imposing full control over the central parts of the war-hit country after 3 and a half years as ISIL withdrew from Aleppo province and along with the Syrian Army troops’ advances in Western Raqqa.

The sources said that following the army’s control over Aleppo and its forces’ continued advances in Western Raqqa, and Eastern Homs and Hama, its seemed that the central parts of the country would soon be cleaned of terrorists after three and a half years of occupation.

The Syrian army also continued its advances in other key provinces across Syria.

Homs

The sources said that the army stopped its anti-terrorism operation in Northern Hama to prepare the region as a platform for the liberation operations in the Eastern direction of al-Salamiyah city that had been a main bastion of ISIL and the town of Aqayrabat that was considered a gate to Eastern Homs.

In the meantime, the army men’s operation in Homs was underway, while recapturing the town of al-Sukhnah in the Eastern direction of the ancient city of Palmyra would pave the way for entering Deir Ezzur province.

Another military source said that with the liberation of the regions East of al-Salamiyah and recapturing of the remaining regions in Northeastern Homs the army forces would be capable of imposing full control over the central part of the country.

In the meantime, the army engaged in fresh round of clashes with ISIL in Humeimeh desert and advanced against terrorists in al-Heil oilfield.

A military source said that the army men’s clashes with ISIL in al-Heil oilfield, Northeast of Arak and Southeast of Palmyra city were very fierce.

The source further added that a large number of terrorists were killed or wounded in the clashes.

He went on to say that the army forces seized control over the key heights overlooking al-Heil oilfield and the third power plant that are important positions for military back up.

The source underlined that ISIL’s movements and supply lines were under the control of the army in the Northern direction of the third power station and West of al-Heil oilfield.

Also, the Syrian fighter jets carried out several combat flights over ISIL-held regions in the town of al-Sukhnah and the village of al-Tibeh in Eastern Homs, destroying all the targets.

Meanwhile, the army forces stormed ISIL’s defense lines in Badiyeh and laid siege on the terrorists in al-Heil energy field near the strategic town of al-Sukhnah.

The army units managed to lay siege on the terrorists in al-Heil oilfield from the Western, Southern and Southeastern directions of Palmyra city.

A military source said that the army forces deployed 1km away from al-Heil energy field, adding that al-Heil that is located 40km Northeast of Palmyra and near the key town of al-Sukhnah is the most important and largest base of ISIL in Syria’s Badiyeh.

Idlib

The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria announced in its latest report that the total number the regions, towns and villages that signed the peace agreement with the Syrian Army troops stands at 1,996.

The center’s statement that was released on the Russian Defense Ministry’s website said that after representatives of militants in 125 more regions inked peace with the Damascus government in Idlib and Hama the total number of the towns, regions and villages that joined the peace plan reached 1,996.

Local sources in Northwestern Syria reported that Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board) was preparing to launch a fresh wave of attacks on rival terrorists of Ahrar al-Sham in Idlib.

The sources reported that Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at gathered it forces in the town of Harem in Northern Idlib and the town of Abu al-Dhohour in Eastern Idlib to kick off fresh attacks on Ahrar al-Sham’s positions.

News websites affiliated to the terrorist groups reported that unknown militants kidnapped Ibrahim Yaseen, one of the commanders of Ahrar al-Sham, and transferred him to the town of Sarmada in Northern Idlib.

The sources also said that unknown raiders also abducted Abu Yusef Choubak, another commander of Ahrar al-Sham, in Idlib.

The websites said Tahrir al-Sham’s decision to attack Ahrar al-Sham was made after the abduction of Ahrar commanders and several explosions in Idlib.

Hama

Russian strategic bombers conducted strikes on ISIL targets in Syria, using modern X-101 strategic cruise missiles. Several weapon stockpiles and a terrorist command center were destroyed in the strike.

Russian Air Force Tu-95MS strategic bombers conducted strikes on ISIL positions near the border of Syrian Hama and Homs provinces on Wednesday, the Russian military said in a statement, RT reported.

“Three large weapon and ammunition stockpiles alongside with a command center near the town of Aqayrabat were destroyed in the strike, which was confirmed by objective control measures,” the statement added.

The newest Russian X-101 airborne strategic missiles were used in the strike. While the effective range of the missiles is up to 4,500km, the strikes were conducted from a range of around 1,000km.

The Tu-95MS bombers took off from an airbase near the Southern Russian city of Engels and made their way to Syria after airborne refueling.

Su-30SM fighter aircrafts, based at the Humeimim Air Base in Syria, provided support and cover to the strategic bombers.

All aircraft returned to their bases after successfully completing the mission, according to the Russian military.

Missiles of this type can be fitted with nuclear warheads, after which they receive the X-102 designation.

Deir Ezzur

Well-informed sources in Northeastern Syria and Northwestern Iraq said that ISIL’s power was declining in the cities of Raqqa and Mosul as the Iraqi Army as well as Syrian troops and Kurdish forces were on the threshold of great victories in the group’s de facto capitals in Iraq and Syria.

The sources said that the ISIL lost its self-proclaimed capital in Iraq and based on reports it chose Deir Ezzur city in Eastern Syria as its new capital.

They added that the ISIL terrorists were experiencing their hardest days in Syria after the Syrian Army captured Aleppo city and province, forced the terrorist group to pull its forces back from vast territories in Eastern Homs and put the ISIL under pressure in Eastern Hama to lift siege on Deir Ezzur.

The sources said that the ISIL terrorists were badly under the pressure of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa, adding that ISIL has lost control over a large number of regions in Raqqa and fall of the city is imminent.

According to a source in Deir Ezzur, the Syrian Army saw a large influx of ISIL militants to the Eastern province following the Takfiri terrorist group’s setbacks in Iraq and Syria.

The source added that presence of hundreds of ISIL forces caused the Syrian and Russian fighter jets to intensify their combat sorties to hit terrorist centers in the province.

In the meantime, the army aircraft bombed heavily ISIL’s gathering centers and supply lines in regiment 137 base, Jonayd division base, al-Karfanat region, al-Orfi neighborhood, al-Jafrah passageway, al-Zera’a region, al-Habibeh square and in the villages of al-Hosseiniyeh and al-Huweiqa, destroying several positions and killing a number of terrorists, including several non-Syrians.

local sources reported that six ISIL members were killed and several more were injured in a bomb blast at a terrorist position in the town of Boqrus in al-Mayadeen region.

The sources further pointed to a fresh round of infighting among the ISIL terrorists and added that tensions was intensified between ISIL’s security forces and Islamic police in most Western regions of Deir Ezzur province.

They added that tensions among the ISIL forces intensified after one of the commanders of the ISIL, nom de guerre Musa al-Hassan, was arrested by ISIL police causing al-Hassan’s forces to attack the police checkpoint, killing an ISIL policeman and arresting several more.

Raqqa

Over 17 terrorists, including several military and religious leaders, were killed or wounded in the explosion of an explosive laden vehicle in a Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board) position North-West of Idlib city, local sources confirmed on Wednesday.

The sources said that six Mufties (religious leaders) and a field commander of Tahrir al-Sham were killed after a bomb-laden suicide vehicle blew up in the terrorist group’s positon near the village of Hafsarjeh.

10 more militants were injured in the suicide attack, the sources added.

Dara’a

The terrorist groups started targeting the positions of the Syrian Army and residential areas, violating the ceasefire declared by the army in the provinces of Quneitra, Dara’a and Sweida on Sunday.

Terrorist groups’ snipers opened fire at a vehicle that was carrying civilians to cut off Debka-Zibeen road in Southwestern Sweida, breaching the newly-declared ceasefire.

There civilians were killed and two others were injured in the attack.

In the meantime, terrorist groups’ Grade missile units shelled the army’s positions in Dara’a al-Balad district in the Southern part of Dara’a city.

Also, the terrorists’ mortar units targeted several times residential units in the town of al-Ba’ath and its surroundings, injuring a civilian.

Quneitra

Anti-aircraft units of the Syrian Army shot down an Israeli spy drone over the pro-government forces’ positions in the Southern province of Quneitra.

The Arabic-language Elam al-Harbi wrote on its facebook account that the Syrian army shot down an Israeli drone as it was carrying out spying flight over the pro-government forces’ positions in Northern Quneitra.

In the meantime, sources affiliated to the terrorists said they heard the sound of an explosion in Northern Quneitra, claiming that an Israeli plane targeted positions of the Syrian Army in Quneitra province.

In the meantime, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that the terrorist groups in Syria were not only unable to intercept, but also incapable of even tracing or finding Russian drones in missions in the sky of the war-hit country.

Rogozin was quoted by the Arabic-language page of Sputnik as saying that the terrorist groups could not intercept and target Russia’s reconnaissance guided drones flying over Syria.

He further added that the photos taken by Russia’s guided drones from above the Syrian airspace showed a number of targets on the ground.

“Terrorist groups are not capable of targeting the drones because they are so well-camouflaged that cannot be traced and intercepted by terrorists,” he underscored.